The Federal Ministry of Works has assured Nigerians that the Akure-Ikere road dualisation project will be ready for inauguration by President Bola Tinubu in December.

The Federal Controller of Works in Ondo State, Olajide Hussein, gave the assurance in an interview with journalists on Sunday in Akure.

Mr Hussein explained that the 15-km phase 1 of the Akure-Ita Ogbolu-Iju-Ikere road dualisation will be completed and inaugurated in December by the president.

According to him, phase 1 of the road project cost N19 billion, while phase 2 is expected to cost N23 billion.

He explained that it was the policy of the ministry to always do projects in phases so that road users would have unhindered access to one lane while the contractor started work on the second lane.

Mr Hussein praised the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, for being resilient and ensuring the project was delivered on schedule.

“Phase one covers a 15-km single carriageway from Akure to the Ekiti State border, with some gaps, a gap of 3km in between. The length of the road from Akure to Ikere, the Ekiti State boundary, is 18.438km.

“Now, the phase one of this project is 15km, meaning the phase one is not expected to cover the whole stretch of 18km, though we expect the contractor to complete these 18 km by December and for President Bola Tinubu to inaugurate it,” he explained.

Mr Hussein, who praised the quality of work done by the contractor, said the only challenge faced in road construction was obstructions by buildings.

He, however, commended the affected property owners for removing their structures in collaboration with the state governments.

(NAN)